1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to techniques for securing surgical instruments and equipment during surgery and, more particularly, to techniques for securing surgical instruments and equipment close to the surgical area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Surgical procedures require the use of various types of instruments and equipment. As used herein, the term "instruments" or "surgical instruments" will refer to all types of surgical instruments and equipment, including scalpels, scissors, suction tubes, cauterizers, and so forth. It is necessary that the instruments be available close to the surgical site. Desirably, the instruments would be attached to the patient's body, or to drapes or covers shielding the patient's body, in order to minimize inconvenience to the surgeon. Unfortunately, due to the uneven surfaces afforded by the patient's body, it has been impractical for instruments to be located any closer than a nearby surgical tray.
An early approach to the problem with respect to tubes and wires was the use of various clamps which surrounded the patient's head or a limb. The tube or wire to be clamped then was held in a stable position between the clamp and a body part. Although the referenced approach resulted in the immobilization of the tube or wire, it was not useful for the securing of surgical instruments which might require repeated removals and reinsertions into the holding device. Further, such clamps were difficult to use with a plurality of tubes and wires which needed to be segregated from one another.
Another approach to the problem has been to use two separable pieces of material and then to clamp the instrument between the two pieces of material, as disclosed by Kalt et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,662, issued Apr. 19, 1988. One piece of material is attached to a body part, the instrument is placed on the attached material, and then the second piece of material clamps the instrument in place by adhering the second piece of material to the first piece of material.
Certain problems exist with the device disclosed in the Kalt patent. Since two individual pieces of material are used to hold the instruments, difficulties may arise in keeping track of the piece which is not attached to the body. This is especially true if several of the devices are to be used in series, such as on an arm or a leg. Further, as with the previously discussed clamps, the Kalt device itself is designed as a clamp. As such, its purpose is to lock the instrument that it is holding into an immobile position. Such a device is ineffective for use as a holder, where instruments may have to be removed and re-inserted into the holder several times during a single operation. The Kalt patent would require disengaging the releasable flap, repositioning the instrument, then resecuring the instrument. Such a process would be no more useful than using a conventional surgical tray.
U.S Pat. No. 4,074,397, issued Feb. 21, 1978 to Rosin, discloses a disposable pad for securing cords, tubes and the like. Rosin's device consists of a relatively large, square, flexible pad having an adhesive side that may be attached to a convenient supporting surface such as a surgical drape. The pad has an elongate strip attached to, or integral with, the pad. The strip has a hook and loop fastener affixed to its distal end. By wrapping the strip around the tube to be secured and then pressing the hook and loop fastener onto the pad itself, the tube is secured. Tubes also may be shifted back and forth within the wrapped strip.
Despite the advances made by the Rosin patent, certain problems have not been addressed. Although the pad permits a broader range of attachment locations for tubes to be used, the size and shape of the pad is restrictive. Areas on a patient's body or drape that are not amenable to the use of a large, square pad cannot be used as a site for the attachment of instruments. Furthermore, the singularity of the pad is restrictive, that is, a single pad can be used to hold only a single instrument. During surgery, a number of instruments often are needed to be kept at hand. Although several pads might be used simultaneously, such an arrangement soon would use up available attachment areas on the patient's body or drape. Also, the use of many large pads would clutter up the surgical area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,566 issued May 19, 1987 to Garrow discloses a strap-like clamping device. Although Garrow shows the use of a multiplicity of tube-holding flaps, the device is limited to use in only certain areas. This is because the strap can be attached only to objects, such as a patient's head, that the strap can be passed around. The device thus limits itself to uses where an extremity is available.
Desirably, a surgical instrument holder would be relatively small and would have the capacity for holding a number of surgical instruments while being able to be attached anywhere on a patient's body or drape. Further, such a holder would be presterilized and disposable in order to eliminate the necessity of repeated sterilization.